Kid-Friendly Basic Recipe for Ice Cream Cake

The kid-friendly part of this recipe (besides the sticky-sweet final product) is that there aren't any unsafe ingredients (i.e., no raw eggs) and so it's snitchable at every stage of the process.

Also, please note how considerate I am in getting this super-indulgent recipe up before Ash Wednesday. :D

Ingredients:
-1.5-2 quarts ice cream
-1 package sandwich cookies
-1/3 c. butter
-candy, syrup, nuts (all or some, whatever you like best!)

Recipe:
1. Let ice cream sit out fifteen minutes or so, to soften.

2. Meanwhile, in food processor, combine cookies and butter until crumbly. (You can also do this by hand, crushing the cookies and mixing them with the butter, it'll just take longer.)

3. Spread cookie/butter mixture along the bottom of a pan (you can use an 8x12 baking pan; here I use two 8x8 pans, because I was making the cakes for my twins' birthday, and wanted to make them each their own).

The kids can help pat it smooth.

4. Spread half of the softened ice cream on top of the cookie crust,

And pat it smooth with the back of a spoon, careful not to disturb the cookie crust too much.

5. Cover the ice cream with candy, syrup, and/or nuts, whatever your heart (or the birthday kid's heart) desires:

6. Cover with another layer of ice cream - you can use a different flavor, if you like:

Smooth this layer down with the back of a spoon also. It might be getting kind of melty at this point, but just do your best - you're going to freeze the whole thing at the end, and it'll even itself out in the end.

7.Cover the second layer of ice cream with more syrup, candy, and/or nuts. My February girls each chose a different sort of heart candy:

Sweethearts for Anna, chocolate hearts for Lucy.

8. Cover the cake and stick the whole thing back in the freezer for at least two hours, allowing it to freeze solid.

9. Slice (carefully!), serve, and enjoy!

And now that you've seen the monstrosities that my daughters put together, may I recommend some combinations for a more grown-up palate?

Toffee Ice Cream Cake:

-Coffee ice cream

-Chocolate ice cream

-crunched-up Heath bars

-slivered almonds

-caramel sauce

-chocolate sandwich cookies for crust

Peanut-butter Chocolate Ice Cream cake:

-Nutter Butter cookies for crust

-cookie dough ice cream

-Moose Tracks ice cream

-Reeses Pieces

-peanuts

-chocolate syrup

Mint Ice Cream Cake:

-Mint Oreos for crust

-mint-chocolate ice cream

-cookies and cream ice cream

-crushed Andes mints

-slivered almonds

-dark chocolate chips

Enjoy!

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell